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ISSUE NO. 1710
12 - 18 April 2018
Newspaper in Spain 2018
A XARQUÍA - C OSTA T ROPICAL
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Nerja landfill probe Prosecutor finds ‘serious environmental breach’ The State Attorney General’s office has reportedly detected ‘serious environmental breaches’ in the case of the La Miel de Nerja ‘illegal’ landfill. According to reports, the Environment and Urban Planning department has sent an expert report on the situation to the Court leading the case as part of the Guardia Civil operation surrounding the case, known as operation ‘rubbish.’ The illegal dumping ground, which was reportedly found on a mining gap, had reportedly been used as a landfill site since at least 1998, covers an estimated area of three hectares and held a volume of waste of more than 802,000 cubic metres of pruning, construction and demolition waste. The report from the Environment and Urban Planning department allegedly details that the uncontrolled rubbish
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by Benjamin Park
‘ILLEGAL’: The site had reportedly stored waste since 1998. dump was located on an old quarry and that there were a series of regulatory noncompliance issues. Several environmental infringements were found to have affected a number of matters on the site including breaches against mines, waste, water, protected natural space, forest fires and were also a risk to the health
of the local population. In June last year, it was revealed that local businessmen and even public officials including current Mayor Rosa and her predecessor Jose Alberto Amijo, had been implicated in the operation as 40 people were investigated by the Guardia Civil; of which 12 were arrested. Those arrested have been
Prison for caretaker A SCHOOL caretaker has been jailed for 10 years for abusing two girls aged five and six. The former janitor will also be prevented from coming within 500 metres of his victims and will take part in a sexual reeducation programme. The man, who worked at a school in La Cala del Moral, was given two five-year sentences for abusing two girls. A lawyer for the victims, Susana Bellido Garcia, said, “justice has finally been done and the truth has come to light,” following the crim e s wh i c h t o o k p lac e in 2 0 1 3 an d 2014. The defendant had launched an appeal against his conviction at the Supreme Court but it was rejected on the grounds there had been no, “obscurity or insuffi-
cie n cy in the proving the fa c ts .” The court also highlighted the, “seriousness of the facts, and that it was repeated over time in the same way at the same place.” The convicted was found to have used, “different tricks such as offering sweets or colouring books,” to lure his victims to another room where he abused them. His abuse continued between October 2013 and January 2014, using behaviour described by a court as, “aberrant, inappropriate and abusive,” using the girls, “as instruments to satisfy his lubricious desires.” During the trial, the convicted person stated that he had never touched the minors but offered no argument or reason that could justify the accusations he was facing.
charged with alleged crimes of forgery and fraud, in relation to the dumping ground which reportedly covered a staggeri n g 3 6 , 0 0 0 s q u a r e metres by the end of 2016. It has since been reportedly confirmed by Guardia Civil officers that the landfill was exploited for more than 15 years while it was managed economically by a group of construction companies in Nerja that failed to comply with administrative regulations.